In every journey, pit and rest stops are a given, and I felt it only right to share some info about mine. I consider it my small way of providing something helpful and informative, as opposed to just talking about what I’ve seen and what I did. If that even makes sense. #odysSTAY will chronicle what I remember of the places that served as my shelter on my various adventures. For this post, I will be talking about the two places we stayed at during our “Plan B” road trip through Batad and Bontoc.
I’ll be honest: one of the things that I find the least desirable when planning or going on any trip is trying to look up accommodations. It would not be a problem if I were alone, because I always, ALWAYS look for an inexpensive place, as long as its (a) clean, (b) has the basic amenities (read: a bed and a place to bathe in), and (c) it’s easily accessible. Now if you are in a group, there are bound to be some difficulties since not everyone thinks or feels the same way.
Simon’s Viewpoint Inn and Restaurant, Batad, Ifugao
Our group did not make any prior arrangements or reservations when we went to Batad. Our lead said there are lots of places to stay at when we arrive in Batad. We took his word for it and just pushed through on the trip, not worrying whether we’ll have someplace to sleep in when we get there.
In my Road To Batad post, I mentioned about how the place is now more “packed” than it was 7 years ago. There were more structures, and what used to be residences were now modified to become inns and pension houses. The first house we arrived at was a small inn, with only 4 rooms available. At that time, they were already fully booked with tourists. The lady owner suggested we head over to Simon’s, because they are one of the bigger – if not the biggest – inns in the area. Also, the owner supposedly is part-Ibaloi and has ties to Benguet (where we are from, and I also am an Ibaloi).
True enough, when we arrived at Simon’s, they have more than enough rooms available for us. There were 12 of us in our group, and the 7 who went ahead called dibs on one of the two huts located beside the Inn. 5 of us were assigned rooms on the second floor of the inn.
The place was very clean, and is typical of a contemporary Igorot home that is made of wood and galvanized iron. We hung out for a bit then went to the hut as our companions started prepping dinner.
Then we saw that there were three huts: the one occupied by our companions, the other by another couple from Manila, and the other hut serves as a storage room.
It took a lot of pleading and wheedling until the staff relented and let the 5 of us move from our 2nd-floor rooms to the storage hut. Haha! We didn’t even care that we had to wait for sheets and blankets, or that the hut had a low ceiling, and it was crammed with knick-knacks and other antiques. WE JUST HAD TO SLEEP THERE.
Needless to stay, we had a very good sleep. We went to sleep at around midnight already and woke up at around 5am to prepare breakfast.
Cleanliness: 5/5
From what we’ve seen of the main inn, it was clean and well-maintained. You can only enter the main living area if you take off your footwear and leave them on the shoe shelves provided for. The rooms are very spartan. Just a bed with a mattress, fresh and clean sheets, a lone table. That’s it. The room that we were originally assigned to had outlets for charging devices. It would not be fair to judge the place according to the hut we stayed at because it was not really meant for guests, but we didn’t mind it at all. It was filled with stuff, and there was even a fireplace with ashes and burnt wood, and rice husks in the corner. But they provided us with mattresses and clean sheets, plus they made a last-minute effort to dust the place down before allowing us to go in.
Location: XX
I won’t give a rating for location, since all the inns here are clustered in one place, which is the jump-off to the terraces and the waterfalls. There were signs, too, indicating where the inn is located if you’re just arriving.
But here’s a view of the “amphitheater” from Simon’s “viewdeck-slash-veranda”.
Check out the viewpoint of the Batad Rice Terraces from Simon’s Viewpoint.
Customer Service: 4.5/5
We were welcomed by friendly staff and subsequently directed to our rooms (and huts). Perhaps it was the fact that we had stuff in common (we’re Igorots, they live part of the time in La Trinidad, where we are) and we share the same culture, we hit it off and chatted over around a campfire that they set up. They even brought out some rice wine for us to share. 🙂 By the way, they will also provide you a guide if you are planning on going to the waterfall the next day. For a fee, of course. I think we paid something like Php100 to Php200 per person. I can’t be sure.
Facilities/Amenities: 3/5
The place has two bathrooms and two toilets. Which isn’t really much, especially when the place is going to be packed during peak season. Unless there are ensuite rooms… but I doubt it. It’d be nice if they added more bathrooms and toilets…
Price: 4/5
Expect prices to be high when in Batad. One bottle of Yakult here costs Php20.00, which is twice the regular price elsewhere. I think their Gatorade was around Php75.00 to Php100.00. We had the foresight to buy stuff at the Banaue Public Market and just cook our dinner, breakfast and lunch a la camping, so we didn’t have to buy food from the restaurant. Our group lead planned to buy lunch there, but then came back and said, “Ginto ang pagkain nila dito“. (lit. “Their food here is gold”, meaning it is expensive.) I’d have given them a 2 or 3 out of 5 here, but then they let us bring in cooksets and cook in the premises, and even allowed us access to their free-flowing water, so all’s good.
From what we were told, an overnight stay at Simon’s costs Php250.00 per person, regardless where you are staying. If the original room assignments continued (the 7 in one hut, two of us in one room and the other 3 in another), the price per person would still be the same. This, I find, is already a great deal.
Overall: 4/5
They have entire walls pinned with photos, notes, and whatnots from the many visitors to Batad that chose to stay here over the years. The sight alone gives off a degree of warmth, especially when you think about how these people found respite in the roofs of Simon’s when they visited this place. The familiarity that we got from being able to talk and banter about freely with the staff also made it even more pleasurable. When and if I go back there, I’d definitely choose Simon’s again.
Like them on Facebook, contact them on 0919 217 6986, or read about them on Tripadvisor.
Mountain Hotel and Restaurant in Bontoc, Mountain Province
As the driver of the van we hired for the trip drove through the streets of Bontoc, bringing us from one inn to another, we only had a few criteria in mind. It should be cheap and there should be a place for charging our phones and cameras. We didn’t really care about whether it is big or not (we were even all right with a single dormitory-type or family room) or if it is clean. Just those two, and we’re good.
After two failed inquiries (one had no outlets, the other was quite pricey), our third stop recommended another place, saying it is cheap. So we went there.
Jackpot.
(I apologize for the lack of pictures. We arrived at night already, and were too tired to do anything other than eat a late dinner, wash up, and hit the sack. 🙂 You just have to take my word for it, then.)
Cleanliness: 4/5
The room itself was clean. Our 12-person group was divided into 3 rooms. 5 of us were assigned in a room with three beds, a ceiling fan, and windows. The sheets and linens were clean, too. There is a common room on each floor which is also clean.
Location: 5/5
Perfect location. It’s right beside the national road. On the left is the Tourism Center. A few blocks down is the market, and further down is the bus station. We just had to take a back road and walked for around 10 minutes to get to the spot where the jeepney plying the Bontoc-Sagada route is waiting for passengers.
Customer Service: 4.5/5
The lady at the desk was quite patient answering our questions as we were trying to work out if what we were seeing was correct. Really? Php125.00 per person? For real??? She also directed us to our rooms, and in the morning, during a power outage, she came bearing candles. Sweet, haha!
Facilities/Amenities: 3/5
There are outlets in the rooms, and also in the living room. On our floor, there were two baths and two toilets. Here’s the thing: they’re quite small, so it’s going to be quite troublesome to be moving around. I am short and space-efficient, and I had trouble while taking a shower; I can only imagine how tight a fit it’s going to be if it were a foreigner trying to take a bath. Phew. Also, while taking a shower, there was a house lizard at the bottom of the door, which was soooo stubborn that no amount of water thrown at it would make it go away. It creeped me out the whole time.
Still, there was continuous running water, and sinks outside were also provided for minor washing needs. They also have a small resto on the first floor, serving meals and snacks.
Price: 5/5
I love it. Haha! This is the cheapest overnight accommodation I’ve ever tried, and considering how it was clean, and had the basics that we needed.
Overall: 4/5
My one other beef would be the noise made by others while walking on the corridors. The smallest sound will echo through the halls so if you’re sensitive to that, it’s going to annoy you. In the wee hours of the morning, I kept hearing shuffling on the hall outside our doors. It turns out to be an old woman, who is probably one of the owners of the place, and who also happens to live in the room at the end of the hall.
Overall, though, it’s a good place to stay in for a short stint in Bontoc.
See you in the next installment of #odysStay, hopefully, real soon!
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